Collar steffener



Aug 18, 1959 M L. oscARD A2,899,681

' COLLAR STIFFENER v Original Filed Feb. 8. 1954 IN VEN TOR. /YRF/N L. 0504/?3 Bnl/N4 WMM Mun ite States COLLAR STIFFENER Martin L. Oscard, Ridgefield Park, NJ.

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-'132) This invention relates to :a stiening member for the collar of a mans shirt, and more particularly to a stiftening member of adjustable length. This application is a division of my prior application for United States Letters Patent, Serial Number 408,752, led February 8, 1954, now Patent No. 2,799,024.

It is an object of this invention to provide a stiftening member for the pointed ends of a mans collar which is adjustable to collar points at varying heights.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an adjustable collar stay which is as thin as non-adjustable collar stays and as llexible.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a collar stay which is of simple construction, easy to part and rugged.

These and other objects of this invention will become more apparent upon consideration of the following discussion taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shirt collar embodying the 4device of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the collar stay of this invention;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the collar stay of Fig. 2 taken along the line 3 3;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the collar stay of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the collar stay of Fig. 2 taken on the line 5 5.

In general, this invention provides an extensible and retractable collar stay to lit collar points of varying heights and to stiften or straighten the points of the collar without being visible when in place on the wearer. Referring now to Fig. l, a shirt is shown having a collar 11. The point 12 of the collar 11 is shown reversed, by turning upward, so that the rear side thereof is exposed to view. The point 12 contains a pocket 12 which receives the collar stay 14. The stay is inserted into the pocket and the point is thus turned up and reversed so that the stay is inserted by an upward diagonal motion and fills the collar point 12 to the bottom of the pocket which is at the apex of the collar point 12.

In Fig. 2 one form of the adjustable stay 14 is s'hown. The stay 14 comprises two members. A pointed member 15 is provided with two dimples 16 and 17 While a blunt member 18 is provided with a Vertical row of closely spaced recesses 19. The members 15 and 18 of the stay 14 are of the same width and approximately the same length. They are adapted to cooperate in providing the stay 14 with extensibility by Ibeing movable to a variety of set positions with relation to each other. Each of the members 15 and 18 are provided with a pair of ears which extend from one end of each of the members 15 and 18 to hug the other member. The ears are of sufhcient width to keep the two members clamped in close contact throughout the length of contact. As shown in Fig. 3, the lower dimple 16 is shown in position protruding into a recess 19 in the member am o 18 and held there by the contact between members 15 and 18 provided by the clamping ears 20. In Fig. 4 the view of the back of the stay 14 shows how the ears 20 of the member 18 hug the member 15 to hold it in close contact. In Fig. 5, the enlarged horizontal section shows clearly the insertion of the lower dimple 16 into the recess 19 with the ears 20 holding members 15 and 18 in close contact. The upper dimple 17 is provided as a stop against which the upper end of the member 18 will abut to prevent an over-contraction of the parts or their endwise slipping apart. On the other hand, upon full extension, the respective ears 20 on each of the members 15 and 18 will engage to prevent an over extension of the parts or an endwise separation.

The members 15 and 18 may be composed of a thin exible material such as spring brass or spring tempered Phosphor bronze. This structure permits a rapid adjustment in the length of the stay 14. The stay is extended or shortened by endwise pressure or pull on the stay 14. The pressure causes the members 15 and 18 to bow with respect to each other in the area A lying between the ears 20. The members 15 and 18 when thus bowed in a plane perpendicular to the at surfaces of the members 15 and 18 separate sufficiently to allow disengagement of the dimple 16 from the recess 19 in which it is set and to allow simultaneous endwise motion of the members 15 and 18 moving the dimple 16 to a new setting in another of the recesses 19. When it is desired to lengthen the stay, the pull similarly causes the members 15 and 13 to ride apart against the spring pressure of the clamping ears 20 and :allows disengagement of the dimple 16 from the recesses 19.

In this manner, by the combination of the clamping together of the members 15 and 18 by the ears 20 and the iexibility of the Ibody members 15 and 18, a means is provided in the stay 14 for readily moving the dimple 16 with respect to the recesses 19 and, at the same time, holding the dimple tight in the recesses in any given set position under the spring pressure of the ears 20. An advantage of this invention is the ready adjustment of the parts to provide a single stay with a variety of lengths so as to permit it to accommodate almost any collar point. Another advantage of this invention is the action of the members in bowing with relation to each other to permit shifting of the set position. Among still other advantages of this invention is its simplicity of structure which permits the members to be made and formed with a minimum of effort.

Various modifications of this invention can be had without departing from the spirit thereof, and for that reason it is not intended that the embodiment shown herein Ibe limited other than by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. An adjustable collar stay including in combination a first elongated thin flexible member, a second elongated thin tlexible member juxtaposed and longitudinally slidab-le with respect to said first member, a first pair of arms extending from said first member and formed to movably retain said second member in close contact with said first member, a second pair of arms extending from said second member at a point adjacent said iirst member :and formed to movably retain said first member in close contact with said second member, a lirst dimple protruding from said first member in the direction of said juxtaposed second member and slidable with relation thereto, a series of apertures in said second member along the path of said slidable dimple, said arms being of sufficient width to prevent buckling between said members yduring use and therefore to retain said dimple in one of said apertures to prevent longitudinal movement between said first ,member and said second member, a second dimple protruding from said rst member in the direction of the juxtaposed other member and being spaced from said first dimple and further being normally spaced from said other member and adapted to engage said other member to thus cooperate to limit relative longitudinal sliding movement of said members in one direction, and said second pair of arms being normally spaced from'said first pair of arms and adapted to engage same to thus cooperate to limit relative sliding movement of said members in the opposite direction. 2. An adjustable collar stay including in combination: a rst elongated thin flexible member, a second elongated thin flexible member juxtaposed and longitudinally slidable with respect to said lfirst member, a first pair of arms extending from said iirst member and formed to movably retain said second member in close contact with said iirst member, a second pair of arms extending from said second member at a point adjacent said rst member and formed to movably retain said iirst member in close contact with said second member, a rst dimple protruding from said first member in the direction of said juxtaposed second member and slidable with relation thereto, a series of apertures in said second member along the path of said slidable dimple, said arms being of sufcient Width to prevent buckling 'between said members during use and therefore to retain said dimple in one of said apertures to prevent longitudinal movement between said rst member and said second member, a second dimple protruding from one of said members in the direction of the juxtaposed other member and being spaced from said Iirst dimple and further being normally spaced from said other member and adapted to engage said other member to thus cooperate to limit relative longitudinal sliding movement of said members in one direction, said second pair of arms being normally spaced from said iirst pair of arms and adapted to engage same to thus cooperate to limit relative sliding movement of said members in the opposite direction, and one of said members being pointed at a location distal its pair of arms, with the other member being bllunt at a location distal its pair of arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 811,326 Reynolds Jan. 30, 1906 2,319,135 Kaplan May 11, 1943 2,639,436 Gavrilovich May 26, 1953 

